Five Kingdoms
by Sacrowhunter
Summary: There are Five Kingdoms, Lightening, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. A war has broken out and the kingdoms are making alliance to prepare for war. A dark group is working behind the scenes and manipulating the war to their benefit. Only a small group consisting of members from each Kingdom can stop them and bring an end to the war.
1. Chapter 1

The Five Kingdoms

A/N: So I've been fighting with myself to make a crossover story with Avatar and Naruto but couldn't think of any really cool ideas, until this one came to mind a while back. I haven't decided on pairings yet, and I will accept ideas for pairings in the reviews. Thanks for reading and please leave a review or two.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar.

…

The view from the balcony was breathtaking. Waves from the ocean crashed against the walls of the castle sending a spray of salt water up to where a teen with black hair stood. He bent over the balcony taking in the scent of the ocean and enjoying the misty air.

The castle was so calm on nights like this, the nights when the stars shone the brightest, and the breeze flowed smoothly. He couldn't ask for anything more than the perfect weather and a quiet night.

His coal black eyes studied each crashing wave with an indecisive stare.

A girl walked onto the balcony, just behind the teen, he didn't even turn to look at her. She stepped closer, holding her hands together in a meek way. Her dark blue hair swayed in the light breeze, also blowing her dark blue Kimono around.

"Hinata," he said as she leaned against the balcony and stared out as well. "I thought you left earlier."

"My family left but I wanted to see how you're doing." Hinata turned to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he answered.

"Sasuke," Hinata placed her hand on his shoulder. "I understand everything."

Sasuke turned from her. He pulled his arm back and thrust it into the sky. Lightening flew from his fingertips and zapped across the sky. He exhaled heavily and then turned back to Hinata. "I'm fine, just a little frustrated."

"You're only 12 now. You won't even become king until you're father steps down." Hinata said with a smile.

"I don't want to be king. It should be Itachi not me." Sasuke walked into his room. Hinata followed after him.

Sasuke's room was covered wall to wall with opened scrolls, a few couches around the room but otherwise it was pretty plain for a prince's room. He took a seat on one of the couches opposite of his bed, while Hinata chose to remain standing.

"Itachi can't be king, your father chose you." Hinata said, "And he chose you for a reason."

Sasuke picked up one of the many scrolls lying about his room and started to read it. He wanted to forget about being king and focus on his training instead. Let Itachi be king, he thought.

Hinata sighed and walked toward the door. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up from his scroll. "Hinata," she stopped in the doorway. "Thanks – for coming by."

Hinata smiled as she closed the door behind her. Sasuke followed her until she was gone from the room. He turned to his scroll, scrunched up his face, and threw the scroll across the room.

Sasuke lied in his bed and stared up at the stars that were carved into the ceiling. A little light came from a candle sitting on the desk next to his bed, it made the stars appear to flicker and shine.

I'm going to be a terrible king, Sasuke thought. Too much responsibility and rules, and he wouldn't have any time to himself anymore. Why did his father choose him? Was there something wrong with Itachi?

No, that couldn't be it. But it had to be something, there was a reason that Sasuke was picked over his older brother. Did Itachi even care? Probably not, he was pretty emotionless.

Sasuke's eyes began to droop as he looked at the stars. His candle went out as he drifted off to sleep.

…

"Sasuke, you need to wake up."

Sasuke was being shaken, he could feel his body moving, but didn't know what was happening. His eyes opened to a blurry vision of someone standing over his bed. He rubbed them furiously and saw that it was Hinata standing over him, she wore a light blue night gown and had her down instead of up in a fancy style.

"What's going on, Hinata?" Sasuke asked after stifling a yawn.

"It's your parents," Hinata said. "They've been killed.

Sasuke jumped to his feet, got dressed, and ran out of his room. He ran down the large hall lined with pillars keeping up the ceiling, the family crest was carved into them, and giant banisters hung every few feet, also with the family crest.

He ran into his parent's room and stopped when he saw the bodies on the floor, a pool of blood surrounded them in a complete circle. Itachi stood above them, looking forlorn, his face showed the same feeling Sasuke felt.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke," Itachi said in his monotone voice. "You shouldn't see this."

Sasuke turned to Hinata, who was standing behind him, hugged her and felt the tears fall onto his cheeks. They soaked her night gown but she didn't care, and Sasuke was too out of it to care.

The next week went by in a blur for Sasuke. First they attended their parent's funeral, everyone from the kingdom was there, they all gave their condolences and even the elders seemed to genuinely care, even though they hated Sasuke's father as a ruler.

He never knew why and would never know now. He watched as they carried the bodies to the place where they would be buried. Sasuke held his breath as they were carried to their finally resting place, a tear escaped his eye, but that would be the last one.

The next couple of days he continued to be in his daze, he tried to overcome it with training and reading but nothing could get the image from his mind. Sasuke tried to think about what would happen next, what would happen to Itachi and him?

Would he still be king? His father already made the announcement and left it in his will, also leaving Sasuke the family sword, and armor. Itachi got the family shield and many other things but they would have to share the remainder of their family's treasures.

A meeting was called by the elders. Sasuke, Itachi, and a few others were required to attend. The meeting was held in the very room where his father used to go over important information with his troops before sending them into battle.

"Sasuke, Itachi, it's good to have you both here," the elder man said. "The death of your parents was a real tragedy on the Lightening Kingdom, and now we have a vacant throne."

Sasuke and Itachi stayed quiet while listening to the man talk.

The elder saw that they weren't going to talk, so he continued. "The vacancy must be filled. And in the will it stated that Sasuke would be crowned our next king. So tomorrow we will prepare the ceremony to make you king, Sasuke."

"I am honored." Sasuke bowed his head.

"Then it is settled, tomorrow your coronation with begin. You are dismissed."

Sasuke and Itachi bowed before leaving the room.

That night Sasuke lay in his bed. He couldn't stop thinking about the coronation. He wasn't ready, nowhere near ready to rule a kingdom. He was twelve, and yet they still chose him over Itachi.

Sasuke drifted off to sleep but it wasn't a sound sleep. He had the nightmare, again, the one about his parents. He saw their blood smearing the walls of their bed chamber, the pool of blood they both soaked in, and the slash marks.

He would never get the image from his mind. It was burned into the darkest part of his memory.

Sasuke awoke to the sound of someone getting into his room. He sat up but it was too dark to make anything other than several dark shapes surrounding is bed. He reached for the candle but was hit in the face by one of the dark figures before he could.

The pain in his jaw only lasted a second before it was replaced by an even worse pain in his gut. He was hit repeatedly, by people he couldn't even see. He struggled but in the darkness he was outnumbered. A bag was thrown over his face and his vision went dark as he was clubbed from behind.

When Sasuke came to he was being carried somewhere. He struggled to keep his consciousness but it was fading fast. He tried to move but he was tied up with no way of escape. He tried to yell but found that he still didn't have his voice.

The strangers threw him on the ground and removed the bag from his face. He looked up to see Itachi just as Sasuke was being kicked into a river. Itachi threw Sasuke's sword in the river with him. Struggling to stay afloat, he could hear the waterfall coming up. He was dead and he knew it and in that instance he knew something else. Itachi killed their parents, and he did want the throne.

…

A hooded figure walked into a tavern in the middle of the Fire kingdom. They took off their hood to reveal long black hair in two looped braids. She took a seat at the bar and hid as best she could from the onlookers that followed her movement the second she walked in to the tavern.

A kind looking man stood behind the bar cleaning a glass. He smiled at the girl as he walked over to her. "You look a little lost, young lady."

"I'm sixteen," She mumbled. "And I'm looking for someone."

"I doubt I can help," the bartender said. "Most of the people here are regulars and they don't look like the type of people you'd be interested in."

The girl moved her cloak from over her shoulder. The bartender caught a glimpse of a symbol on the cuff of her sleeve.

"So you're from the Water Kingdom, this person you're looking for must be important."

"He is, now can you help me find him?" She asked.

He smiled. "That all depends on who he is and why you're looking for him."

The girl didn't smile but checked the bar around them before speaking. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha."

That caught the bartender off guard. He gave her a strange look. "The late son of Lightening Kingdom's king – he's dead, died four years ago."

"Oh, it's just I got a tip that a man fitting his description was spotted here a few days ago, I was hoping he was still, with us."

The bartender looked down. "Sorry I couldn't be of assistance. Feel free to come back anytime."

The girl placed her hood back on her head, bowed, and walked out of the tavern. A man cleaning a table a few feet from where she was sitting, put down his wash cloth, and followed her out.

The hooded girl walked down the streets of the small town until something touched her shoulder. Her first reaction was to swing with her water bending but her hand was caught before she could finish the motion.

An onyx eyed teen stared at her. "I heard you were looking for me."

She stared at him for a few more moments before pulling her hand away. "Are you Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Usually you give your name first?" Sasuke said, his cold glare piercing a hole right through her.

"Right, sorry, my name's Katara and I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

The Five Kingdoms – The Decision

A/N: Second chapter, kind of short but I needed it to be. Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing and who you'd like to see next in the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar.

…

The tavern was lively today. A band played music on the small stage, while the drinkers sat around and watched with some enthusiasm. People were dancing in the corners and large groups sat around the large wooden tables talking and laughing amongst themselves.

The bar was lined with eager folks waiting for their drinks, or talking to the others sitting at the bar.

Sasuke and Katara sat in a booth in the back, away from most of the noise that encompassed the whole tavern. Sasuke took a sip of his tea and leaned against the wall of the booth. He kept his nonchalant glare focused on the table and not on making eye contact.

"How'd you find me?" Sasuke asked as he took another sip of the tea.

"Well you kind of found me." Katara took a sip of her tea.

Sasuke glared at her, but still didn't make contact. "How'd you know to look here?"

Katara twirled one of her hair loops. "Oh, well I do have my sources. There was a rumor going around that you didn't die, but no one really believed it."

"But you did?"

Katara looked at her lap, pushing a strand of hair back.

Sasuke gave her a skeptical look and turned to his tea. He closed his eyes and took a long drink to clear his mind. She was staring at him when he opened his eyes, she had pretty blue eyes. He didn't even bother asking why she was staring.

Katara pulled her eyes away from his and cleared her throat. "You had to be alive, I – we needed you to be alive."

"Who's 'we'?" Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and studied her.

Katara looked down again and then met his eyes. "Me and you, we are the only ones who can save our world."

Sasuke ignored her and leaned on his palm. He could read the annoyance in her change in stance, but it didn't faze him at all.

"The nations are building armies to have a world war and you don't even care?" Katara said to Sasuke's bemused face. "The Fire Kingdom made an alliance with the Water and Wind Kingdoms, there is going to be so much bloodshed unless you can stop the Lightning Kingdom by claiming the throne. And the Lightning Kingdom is asking the Earth Kingdom for assistance."

"The Earth Kingdom wouldn't go to war that easily, I know the King." Sasuke said, "Gaara is a very young king, but he's not stupid."

"Wait, you don't know?" Katara asked.

"Know what?"

A waitress walked by and gave Sasuke a flirty smile but he ignored her as his interest hinged on each word of the girl who was clearly from Water Kingdom. Katara noticed the longing looks Sasuke was getting. She seemed not to care though.

"Gaara and Toph are no longer leading the Kingdom."

Sasuke's fist tightened. "What happened to them?"

Katara's eyes lowered. "They were overthrown." Sasuke didn't speak so she continued, "They were replaced by a man named Deidara and I heard he knows how to make earth explode just with his bending."

"What happened to Gaara and Toph?"

"They were imprisoned on charges of treason against their own Kingdom." Katara said.

Something set off in Sasuke. He glared at her with his usually cold eyes, but they softened for a moment before he looked away. He sat up straight in the booth and glared at the table. "What else happened while I was away?"

Katara took in a breath and looked down with the same expression he gave. He expected the worst and saw in her expression that he was right to expect it.

…

Sasuke packed a small bag of essentials, a few knives, clothes, and some tools.

The world was going to war around him and he didn't even know it. His own brother was waging war against the rest of the country, and that hurt the most. And the only person who could possibly stop this war was him.

It wasn't a burden he was ready for but it was one he accepted.

Iruka, the man that saved Sasuke on the day that his brother tried to kill him, walked into the small area that was Sasuke's room. Sasuke was taken in by Iruka, and in return Sasuke worked at the Tavern that he owned. Iruka never asked for repayment but Sasuke knew that he needed to make himself useful.

"Are you going somewhere?" Iruka asked as he eyed the bags Sasuke was filling.

"On a trip, I don't know when I'll be back." Sasuke packed his bag and threw it on his bed.

Iruka leaned in the doorway. "Is this about that girl? I mean she's pretty but is she worth eloping?"

Sasuke dropped his bag and turned to Iruka. "I'm not marrying her." He grabbed a sword off the wall and strapped it around his waist.

"Then why are you leaving with her all of the sudden?" Iruka asked, puzzled.

Sasuke shook his head, "It's complicated."

Iruka shook his head, smiled, and walked out of the room. He returned a few seconds later with a sword in his hand. The sheath was laced in gold and had red words written on it. He threw it to Sasuke.

Sasuke caught it and examined the writing. "This is my family sword, where did you find it? How long have you known?"

"Since the day I saved you. The sword I didn't find until a few days after I brought you home. But I figured it was yours, your majesty." Iruka said with a smile.

Sasuke pulled the blade he wore and replaced it with the one he held. The sword felt writing resting against his hip. "Thank you for everything, Iruka. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Don't worry about it. Just try and keep a low profile. If the Lightning King finds out your alive, there may be some major problems headed your way."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sasuke gave Iruka a hug and walked out of his room and into the front room where Katara sat patiently waiting for him.

She smiled and nodded at him, then bowed to Iruka as they left the Tavern.

Outside the weather was turning cool and the sun was a little past the midday mark. They left the village and started their journey.

"So what now," Sasuke asked. "We can't just march into the Lightning Kingdom and take the castle with just the two of us."

Katara smiled as she looked beyond where they stood. "I know, we need to find some help first. We need the help from each of the Kingdoms, including the Earth, if we're going to stand any chance against the Lightning Kingdom."

"The Fire Kingdom capital is the closest, so we should start there." Sasuke said.

"Exactly what I was thinking, I know some people that might want to help." Katara smiled and Sasuke tried but couldn't manage it. They really had their work cut out for them.


	3. Chapter 3

The Five Kingdoms –

A/N:

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar.

…

Sasuke and Katara walked along a river that would lead them to a small city in the Fire Kingdom. It wasn't too far from where Sasuke was staying with Iruka.

Honestly, Sasuke knew this day was coming, the day when he'd have find out what really happened to his parents. The thought has been burning in his mind since the night he was cast out. The whole situation seemed like it was all planned out. He knew that, but he didn't know the why, and that he would make his brother give up even if he had to shed his blood.

Katara shot sideways glances at him but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to take notice. She pressed forward alongside him without a word. It's not like they had much to say to each other though, they just met.

She was a little shy and he wasn't the talkative type. They made an interesting pair though. He hadn't looked at her fighting ability yet but she had to have something useful in a fight, of course he'd find out when they actually got into a fight.

"Do you know where you're going?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Sasuke's face was stoic. "I've been all around the Fire Kingdom with Iruka."

"I thought you wanted to keep your existence a secret?"

"I used to wear a cloak everywhere we went. It was weird at times but it worked." Sasuke said.

They became quiet for a minute. The sound of the river kept them from having to keep conversation, but it was still a long walk to the Fire Kingdom capital.

Sasuke still remembers her first trip there. It was a simple trip to get supplies for Iruka's shop and they spent most of that day gathering them. It was a good memory, and one he'd have to hold onto.

Sasuke and Katara both wore cloaks now – it wouldn't help them at all if people recognized them. Sasuke had many ideas for who Katara was and how she knew so much about what was going on in the world but he kept his thoughts to himself. Now was not the time for questioning – that would come later – for now they needed to ask the fire king for help.

...

The prison cells of the Earth Kingdom were small and not made out of stone. That would be too easy wouldn't it? The cell walls were made of wood, the bars were the same, and the floors were metal. No way could anyone from the Earth Kingdom ever bend their way out of the prison. That was, of course, the reason for them being made out of wood.

That didn't mean all the prison cells were wood, just the ones for the citizens who could bend.

Gaara sat on one of the wooden benches of his cell. Toph walked around the room angrily, he knew why, but he didn't feel nearly as angry as she did.

"First they dethrone us, then they strip our land, and then they throw us in prison? What kind of crap is that?" Toph said as she paced from one end of the cell to the other.

Gaara stayed silent and stared at the ground.

"And look at you," Toph pointed at him. "You sit there looking all defeated, but you haven't even tried to break out of here and reclaim what's ours."

"There's no use in dwelling on anger." Gaara said.

Toph stomped her foot at that. "Man, you're way too damn calm. I mean the least you could do is try and get someone to help us." Toph said, "My parents were right I should have married that nice noble, but no a prince was so much better, just think I could be a queen someday."

"You're a queen now."

"Yeah, and look where it's got me?" Toph said, "You're lucky I love you or else I might be leaving you soon."

Gaara laughed and she laughed too.

"So do you have a plan or what?" Toph asked.

Gaara stood up and walked towards the wooden bars. "I do, but now is not the time, we leave tonight under the cover of night."

Toph sneered. "Why would we do that? You know we're the strongest earth benders to ever be crafted, I mean we could easily level most of the city if need be, and you know it."

Gaara walked back to his bench and took a seat. "We can't, there's a war starting, and the best way for us to help is not by destroying our own city. That would only put people more on edge. We need to escape the city for now. There's a resistance building in the Fire Kingdom, we go there first, and we come here to reclaim our thrones later."

"Fine, but we better get everything back from that blonde freak, and more."

...

Sasuke and Katara entered the city just to the south of the Fire Kingdom capital. It was the city they'd have to get through before they could even get onto the road that led to the capital.

Sasuke was familiar with the city but Katara felt so out of place. She put her hood on her head and moved to stand closer to Sasuke. He put his hood on as well.

The sun was high in the sky. It was about midday by the looks of it. Sasuke turned him and Katara down a busy road, the main road of the city, where all the trade took place. Hundreds of small booths were on either side of them.

A jewelry saleswoman tried to talk Katara into buying something but Sasuke pulled her away from it. Talismans were being sold on a cart to their right, and a weapon salesman was just on the other side. A 'fine goods' vendor was just ahead, holding his products up for everyone to see.

"Wow, there's so many people, and so much stuff to buy." Katara said with wide eyes.

"This is the biggest trade city in the five kingdoms. Merchants from all over the world come here hoping to sell valuables. This is also where the merchant's guild dwells, and they are not someone you want to mess with."

Katara nodded likes he knew what he was saying, but really she didn't. This was her first time seeing so many people in one place. It was astonishing that they could all coexist without knowing each other.

"What exactly does the merchant's guild do?" Katara asked.

"They do illegal trading, buy and sell slaves, and those are just the small things. They have a corrupt way of living, while having control of all the trade that moves through the five kingdoms." Sasuke said, "Iruka and I had a few run-ins with them. They like to stick their hands in all trading, and that included the trading we were doing."

Katara put a hand to her chin and followed Sasuke even more closely. She didn't mind being this close to him really.

A hand rested on Katara's shoulder. She turned to see a man with an eye patch and a face full of scars, smiling at her.

"Hey, Missy, you look like you might need a hand," He said through his twisted smile. "Me and my crew offer a protection agency for any... travelers who may need it."

Katara removed his hand. "No thanks... I know where I'm going."

"But you look like you need my particular services. I can help you if you need it."

Katara backed away. "Like I said, sir, I don't need your help, thank you."

The man and several other men standing around him moved in around her. Where was Sasuke? He was gone, and at a time like this? She reached back to open the jar of water she carried for just these instances.

The man reached out his hand again, she prepared her stance, but his hand stopped midair. Katara looked over to see Sasuke gripping his wrist tightly.

"She said she doesn't need your help." Sasuke said.

"Scram, boy, this is between us and the girl." The thug said.

Sasuke squeezed his wrist and brought him to his knees. He let go and moved to stand between Katara and the men. He turned back to her and said, "You can't use your waterbending here, it's illegal for benders to bend here, plus we don't need the attention right now."

Katara blinked then nodded and rested her stance.

The first thug jumped at Sasuke. He kicked him away and dodged a second attack from behind. He caught a punch thrown at him and threw the person into a pile of his own men. Kicking a man in the chest, he back flipped over the person running at him from behind. They collided and Sasuke was already knocking out two more.

Katara stood in awe of Sasuke's fighting. He was amazing, jumping through the air liking fighting was an art, and he was so fluid, almost like he was a water bender as well as a lightning bender. He moved like this was natural for him, and he looked more than spectacular in that moment.

A few minutes later and Sasuke won. The thugs were lying on the ground holding a body part or two. Sasuke walked away from them nonchalantly and stood by Katara. He began to say something to her but stopped at the sound of clapping behind them.

They turned to a man dressed way too nice for anyone who lived in this town to be. He wore a smile that didn't exactly ooze kindness. He walked closer to them.

"Magnificent," he said still clapping. "That was the best fighting I've seen in years."

Katara turned to him. "Who are you?"

"Me," the man pointed to his chest. "I am Alexi Landon. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"What do you want?" Katara asked.

"My, don't even introduce yourselves and you ask so many questions." Alexi said, "I am the leader of the sub-guild bodyguard under the merchant's guild. And these are my men you just beat up, though they probably deserved it by the looks of it."

"Hn, figures a guild leader would be in charge of these men." Sasuke locked eyes with Alexi.

Alexi turned his sights on the men lying all around him. "They're not all like this, just the new ones who don't know the rules yet."

"So what is it you want?" Sasuke's voice lowered.

Alexi looked at Katara. "I've noticed the girl with you. She's a water bender isn't she? No need to answer that, it's obvious, now what I ask is that you let me have her and I'll pay you for what she's worth."

Katara gasped. "What?"

"She's not for sale." Sasuke said, his eyes locked on Alexi again.

"Oh come now. My boss is very keen to Water Kingdom girls, especially water benders. I could pay you more than thrice your weight in gold." Alexi said.

"I said no."

"Yeah, he said no." Katara said moving closer to Sasuke.

Alexi shook his head. "Fine, but you haven't heard the last of the merchant's guild. We'll be in contact, soon." The man disappeared from sight.

Sasuke turned back to Katara. "We should get moving. I've had enough of this town to last me a lifetime."

"I agree." Katara said and walked up beside Sasuke.

They started their walk toward the outside of the city, both of them hoping to never have to see it again in their lifetimes. Sasuke draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked. Katara blushed but kept moving, putting her hood over her face to avoid his sight.

...

The sun was just setting as they reached the end of the city. Sasuke kept his arm around Katara, knowing if he didn't she might go missing in the crowds of the city. The sun setting wasn't enough of a reason for the crowds to dwindle though as they kept brushing past them.

"I think our best bet would be to get a room for the night." Sasuke said.

"I think your right."

Sasuke moved through the crowd and to a small inn. He walked in, paid, and they were up in their rooms before the sun was entirely out of the sky.

Katara was asleep in minutes but Sasuke just stared out the open window by his bed. The stars were clearly shining in the sky, and the sounds of the city seemed to be calming down, after-all everyone had to sleep at some point.

After what seemed like an eternity Sasuke drifted off to sleep. It was a shaky sleep though. He dreamt of the night his brother tried to dispose of him and his thoughts drifted to his parents, then to his best friend, Hinata.

He wondered how she was doing after all this time. He wondered how she looked now, was she happier now, or was her life somehow worse. She was one of the noble houses that served the king, his father, but now with his brother in charge.

Sasuke saw her face, smiling at him with her moon-like gaze, and ran her hand through her hair.

Sasuke woke to a loud sound. What was it? He turned over, wiped his eyes, and saw that Katara was gone. "No," he said and shot to his feet, running for the door.


	4. Chapter 4

The Five Kingdoms – The Rescue

A/N: Updates every Wednesday from now until December.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar.

…

The city was big, just like it had been during the day, but something about it being night really threw Sasuke off. He ran around the large and dark city in search of the girl he'd only called his companion for two days.

Sasuke ran down town and saw that many of the small businesses he'd seen earlier were still open and serving all sorts of food. Sasuke paid them no mind as he quickly sped by on a mission. The last thing on his mind was food.

The moon seemed to be taunting him as he looked skyward. The round rock in the sky gave him near to no light and seemed to be watching his movements with a steady eye that never closed.

"Hey, where are ya headed, boy?"

Sasuke stopped to look at a kind looking older man with his hands crossed behind his back. He wore a white apron over his frail looking body and was giving Sasuke a worried look.

"Have you seen a girl around here? She has long black hair and light blue eyes?" Sasuke asked as the old man put a hand to his chin.

The old man tilted his head as he played with his white beard. "No, sorry but I don't think I've seen anyone who fits that description. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, just someone I was travelling with. Do you know where the Merchant's guild hall is?" Sasuke asked.

The old man seemed to look even more baffled by that question then Sasuke had expected but he stood and awaited his answer. "Hmm, it should be on the other side of the city, but I'm not sure why you'd want to get mixed up with them fellows. They're a dangerous bunch to get mixed up with in fact it's probably not safe for us to talk about them this openly."

The old man looked around. Sasuke already knew how dangerous they were but that didn't mean the old man needed to be this paranoid about it. Sasuke didn't really have a choice in the matter. He couldn't just leave Katara to them, could he?

"I need to speak to the guild leader do you know the way to their hall?"

The old man raised his hand. "It's that way, but I'm serious about them not being polite people. Does this have something to do with that girl you described?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, it does."

The old man put his hand to his chin again. "From the way you described her she must be a water kingdom girl then?"

"Not many people fit that description do they?" Sasuke looked to the sky once again.

"Actually, I came from the water kingdom myself with my wife and daughter." A sad expression came over the old man's face as he said, "The guild leader took my daughter to work for him when she turned eighteen, I haven't seen her in two years and he refuses me or my wife the option to see her."

Sasuke looked down for a moment before locking eyes with the old man. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, it's not your fault young man, and it certainly can't be helped with the way this town is run."

Sasuke clenched his hand. "I'm sorry but I need to go now. I need to find her before something happens."

The old man bowed to Sasuke as he started to walk away.

...

Katara had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was getting a room at the inn with Sasuke. He sat by the window, seemingly lost in the night stars. She wondered what was on in his mind as his face was a blank slate of emotion.

Now she couldn't see, well she could, but all she saw was some fabric covering her eyes. She guessed it was a blind fold. The fabric was worn and had holes, just not where her eyes were. Moving her hands, she realized that they were bound as well, just so she couldn't bend.

Voices talked around her and she wondered vaguely what they were saying, but couldn't understand what was being said. She strained under the constraints and realized her small vial of water was also missing from her leg. They'd thought of everything, whoever they were.

The sensation of moving ceased as did the voices. The blind fold was removed and a harsh light burnt against her crystal blue eyes. Slowly her eyes adjusted to it and she could make out three people standing before her and noticed that she was being dragged in on a cart.

"The boss'll be happy with you, water bending girl." The man she recognized as the one they ran into yesterday. Alexi something, the last name was vague at the moment.

"It's you," Katara said. He seemed to smile at her after that.

"I see you recognize me," he said, "Like it matters, I brought you here for the boss, and he has... a certain liking for water nation girls."

Katara rubbed at her bindings but to no avail. She never said she was a water bender though, must be precaution or something. She hated that they thought ahead. She hated that they were awaiting someone to walk through the door and towards them. She could hear the footsteps coming closer to their proximity.

The men immediately bowed as a man garbed in clothes too rich for him to be a commoner but not fine enough for him to be a noble. He walked towards them with a restricting demeanor. He was tall with slicked back black hair and a weapon adorning his back, a long blade.

He walked towards her and stared down at her for a moment before grunting. "You two, cut her hands free. We don't treat our guests this way."

Katara felt the fabric around her wrists give way and immediately she jumped to a fight stance and kicked the two men away from her.

The man laughed. "A fighter, I like that." The man said and flipped his sword from his back to his hands. The blade was twice his size and could easily reach her if he swung at her.

"I hope you know I'm not staying long." Katara said, "I have places to be, I hope you understand."

She raised her hands and water flowed around her. Katara made a whip of water and struck across his uncovered chest. A small cut bled lightly on his chest. He touched the wound and let it drop down his fingers.

"My name is Zabuza and that kind of hurt." He said as he raised his hand and blade and slashed down at her, slicing the ground and breaking it into rubble.

Katara threw her water whip at him again and again but he dodged it with ease. He raised his own hand and caught her hand in mid bend and threw her away from him.

"We could do this the easy way, or the hard way." Zabuza said and stabbed his blade into the ground.

"Sorry, but I'd rather not be a slave if you don't mind." Katara said as she picked herself off the ground and made a fighting stance again.

"No one said anything about you being a slave. The boss just wants to meet you."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "You're not the boss?"

"No, I'm the second in command. The boss is in the other room. And he'd really like to meet you."

Katara made two water whips and went on the offensive again. He broke her water with his gloved hand and kept moving through whip lash after whip lash. She slowly stepped back as she realized her water had no effect on him.

He swung his massive sword at her but caught only water as she threw up her shield. Katara couldn't win against this guy, that much she already knew, but what she didn't expect was for him to not be the leader.

If he wasn't the leader and he was still this strong, was the boss a lot stronger? Or maybe he was the kind of person who stayed behind his minions and had no real power himself. Both options were feasible, but which did she prefer. She already knew she couldn't take this guy, Zabuza, so if the other person was stronger then she'd have an even bigger problem than the one immediately at hand.

Katara raised her hand in one last defiant lash of her whip. It connected with Zabuza's face slicing a line across his eye. He screamed out in pain as his hand rose to the now bleeding eye. He peered through his hands, and she could see the blood lust in his eyes and not just from the dripping blood.

"I don't care what the boss says; I'm going to kill you." Zabuza raised his sword and swung at her. She rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided a second gigantic swing of the mighty blade.

She maneuvered with grace away from each swipe. Katara knew she couldn't keep running forever though. It wasn't a likely possibility. Like many of the other things she'd tried since she left the Water Nation it would probably end badly.

Katara jumped back just inches from the tip of the blade and felt her world flash before her eyes. Her foot didn't connect with the ground but instead was slipping off the substance that caked the floor, water. How had she not noticed the puddle in the direction she was headed.

She slipped and hit the floor hard, her jaw clenched as she slid to a halt against the wall. Katara turned a horrified expression to Zabuza as he raised his sword one last time.

"No more running now," Zabuza said as he smiled under his half mask.

Katara heard the blade cut the air as it soared towards her. The clash of metal soon followed and grunting from the giant sword wielding man as she slowly opened her eyes. She took in the sight of a masked figure standing above with a sword and his hand pressed against the giant blade only inches from lacerating them both in two.

"Who," she began to say until she recognized the sword. It was Sasuke, and this was the second time in the past twenty four hours that he's saved her life.

Sasuke pushed with a tremendous amount of strength. Zabuza's own footing was lost as water covered the floor. He slipped backwards with the force of Sasuke's push. Zabuza recovered and ran at him with his blade aimed right at his torso but Sasuke easily jumped over the blade and shot a bold of electricity into Zabuza's arm. He jolted and dropped the blade.

"A lightening bender, huh? That's not going to save her though from the boss." Zabuza said as he tried to soothe his erratically twitching arm.

"Sorry, but I won't allow you to lay a hand on her. You try to attack again and I can't guarantee your safety." Sasuke said through his pale white mask.

Zabuza raised his sword and lunged at Sasuke, but he simply dodged it, and kicked him in the chest spinning on his own sword. He shot another bolt of lightning to his body but he seemed to ignore it as he spun around to swing again.

Sasuke calculated it perfectly and caught it the blade with his own. The force was a little more than he anticipated though and he had to jump back before the blade cut him like scissors through paper. He stood in front of Katara with a defensive stance.

Katara looked down. She couldn't keep letting him risk his life to keep her alive. She had to help somehow. This wasn't going to be a recurring thing she told herself over and over in her mind.

Then, she saw it, and stuck out her hands.

Zabuza walked forward but stopped suddenly. He looked down and saw what the problem was; his feet were frozen, and stuck to the ground. He wasn't able to move.

Sasuke, seeing the opening, raised his blade as electricity surged through it. He swung diagonally and the electricity cut through the man frozen before them. He seized up before falling flat on his face.

"Quick thinking," Sasuke said.

A blush adorned Katara's face. "Well, thank you, I needed to help out you know. Prove I can carry my own weight in this partnership."

Sasuke smiled as he picked up Zabuza's sword. "I think we can keep this." It was heavy but Sasuke easily balanced it on his shoulder. "I know somebody who's been looking for a sword like this."

Katara took one last look at the place that they'd left destroyed after their battle. She was glad to be out of here.

...

Itachi looked out over the balcony that used to belong to his kid brother, the one he'd thrown out, and tried to kill. Did kill, no that wasn't right and he knew it. Sasuke was far more resilient than he let on. He was alive out there somewhere, maybe living a normal life, and keeping away from this coming war.

Itachi smirked as footsteps were heard from the hall behind him. A man dressed in all black with matching black eyes stared over at him before he kneeled before him.

"My lord, I've heard... troubling news." He said, "And I think it's urgent."

Itachi closed his eyes and nodded. "Very well, what needs my attention?"

The man stiffened under Itachi's glare. "I-I've heard that the Earth nation king and queen have escaped."

"That was to be expected, but we still have an alliance with their new king, they won't be able to start a riot without losing civilians. They'd never take the risk. Gaara is too kind hearted for that."

"My lord, I've also heard that water kingdom's princess has gone missing and that a lightning bender has been causing havoc in the Fire Kingdom."

"There should be no lightning benders in the Fire Kingdom, where'd you hear this from?" Itachi asked with his cold stare down on the man.

"I heard it from one of the men who work under the Merchant's Guild. He said he was told to pass the information along to you by his boss."

Itachi turned back to staring off the balcony. "You may leave now."

The man hung his head low and bowed before taking his leave.


	5. Chapter 5

The Five Kingdoms – The Path

A/N: Updates every Wednesday from now until December.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar.

…

Sasuke knocked loudly on a large wooden door. Katara watched him do so with a mild interest. They'd left the city the night they fought with the really strong Zabuza. They couldn't stay in a town that was run by the Merchant's guild anyway now. They were probably already on their list and bounties made by guilds were not taken lightly.

It was a good thing Sasuke wore that mask. If he hadn't then they would have warrant posters on them instantly and people would know the true heir to the throne was alive. They couldn't have that, not with the surprise factor they already held, and not with knowing that his brother could immobilize an army on them in mere hours.

"Who's knocking so early in the morning?" A voice said from inside the house.

Katara noticed the annoyed and lazy expression of the man who opened the door. He wore no shirt and long pants. He had short spiky white and blue hair but was rather short, at least when compared to Sasuke. He gave Sasuke a short once over before smiling.

"Sasuke, wow, didn't expect to see you anytime soon. Actually, I never expected to see you again, what are you doing here?"

"I found something I think you may like." Sasuke pick up the gigantic blade that they left lying on the ground and threw it to the man before him.

He smiled as he gazed upon it. "Oh, wow, the executioner's blade, where'd you find it?"

"Took from Zabuza, I remember you mentioning how you wanted it." Sasuke said, and sent a knowing look to Katara, who just watched them with the slightest curiosity.

The man smiled again, this time different. "I'm guessing you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment. Katara didn't have a clue what they could get from this weird looking man, who appeared to know Sasuke, and was even on a first name basis with him. She just watched as Sasuke smirked and closed his eyes.

"You know me too well, Suigetsu," Sasuke said.

"So let's just cut the case then? If you haven't noticed I'm only half dressed."

Sasuke turned to Katara and then back to Suigetsu. "I need yours and Karin's help getting through the northern mountains."

Suigetsu looked at him with a strange look before leaning in his doorway. "The northern mountains, do you mean the volcanic path?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said.

Katara glanced between them. "What's the volcanic path?"

"It's the fastest way to cut through the mountains but also the most dangerous. We travelled through there twice on our way to the capital. The mountains themselves aren't that dangerous, save for the occasional band of thieves of mercenaries roaming the area. But the real danger with the path we take is the volcanic ash is pretty thick and poisonous."

"Then why would we take the path?" Katara asked.

Sasuke sighed. "It's the fastest way through the mountains, and the only way not blocked because of the war, besides Suigetsu and Karin invented a way to get through the vapors without getting poisoned."

That made sense, there was no way would he purposely put her in danger. Would he? It wouldn't be beneficial to either of them if she got hurt. They still had a job to do, and that was more important than her safety though.

"So are we doing this then?" Suigetsu asked, and turned to grab something in the house. He returned a few moments later with a shirt on. "I'm assuming that's a yes since you have a one track mind, Sasuke. But I'd also like to point out that I don't know where Karin is and she has the remaining masks."

Sasuke sighed. "We'll find her, just get ready to go."

...

Sasuke watched the trail leading out further into the forest. They'd spent most of their time running around the small village looking for the woman he needed to find. The best answer they got from the townsfolk was about a small house just outside of town.

The girl with bright red hair was supposed to live there. And that was an accurate description of her if Sasuke ever heard one. He'd expected her to live a kind of secluded life after he'd left them.

Sasuke ran away, trying to find himself, and found that the only thing that made sense was to return to Iruka. But not before he'd met others trying to find where they fit in this world, among them were Suigetsu and Karin. They'd been just kids then, all of them. They travelled a lot but never found anything interesting or what they thought they were looking for.

Sasuke returned home and the others went their separate ways as well.

"So you two were friends?" Katara asked Suigetsu as they walked.

"Yeah, well kind of, not sure if you want to call us all friends. More like we were all comrades. We helped each other out and well that was about it. Nothing closer than that."

"So then you know who Sasuke is?"

"The rightful king of the lightning kingdom? Yeah we had our bonding moment back then, and we promised to not tell anyone about him." Suigetsu flashed Sasuke a smile before turning back to Katara.

"I didn't think you were capable of opening up, Sasuke." Katara threw him a smirk as well.

Sasuke turned from her. "I was a kid back then. I didn't think about telling them who I really was, I just did it. You're the one trying to get me to own up to responsibility."

Katara laughed at that. Sasuke admired her ability to have a sense of humor when under so much pressure. Did she have a clue what they were doing? What the plan was and how it would work? They were trying to stop a war by bringing everyone together through more fighting.

They would be lucky to come out this intact. The fire kingdom was full of potential allies but they needed a higher up to help them bring the nation out of the war. They needed someone with influence. That would be the hard part.

Finding and making allies might prove to be harder for Sasuke and his cold personality. He didn't make friends well, but Katara was friendly enough to pull others in. She just had the personality that people liked to be around. That made it at least a little easier.

"So how about Karin, who is she?" Katara asked.

Suigetsu laughed as Sasuke turned away. "Well, she's pretty smart but a little annoying. If I'm not mistaken didn't she have a huge crush on you, Sasuke?"

"That's ancient history," Sasuke answered without looking their way.

"So if you invented the mask, Suigetsu, then what do we need Karin for?"

Sasuke sighed. "We need her for another danger that we may run in to."

"What kind of danger is that? Is she a really good fighter?" Katara mulled over her hand as she asked that.

Suigetsu smirked at her question and scratched the back of his neck. "Not exactly, more like she has an important ability, that we kind of need."

Sasuke ignored their ongoing conversation in favor of thinking over a potential plan for when they got to the fire kingdom capital. They needed to talk to someone who knows a lot about the happenings in the town. Though didn't Katara mention she had a friend in the fire kingdom capital? Hopefully they were more help than Suigetsu was at the moment with his annoying attitude.

"We're here," Suigetsu said.

Sasuke looked over the tiny looking cottage that was surrounded by trees and brush. It was easily missed except for the small bright sign that was plastered across two trees not far from where they stood. The villagers were right about it looking abandoned.

The location was enough for Sasuke to ignore it and keep walking unless he was desperately in need of a place to stay. The house looked barely big enough for one.

"So we just going to stare or are we going to knock and see if anyone's home?"

Sasuke sighed as he stepped forward. He knocked the light brown wooden door and stepped back. The sound of things moving could be heard from just behind the door but no voice followed. Sasuke Knocked again and heard a very loud 'what' from beyond the door.

"Hey, Karin, you home?" Suigetsu asked as he stepped closer to the door.

"Suigetsu, go away, I don't want to talk right now." She called from behind the still closed door.

"But I'm not alone, I brought some people along. We need your help."

"I don't care if you brought the fire king. I'm not opening the door for you." Karin said.

"I brought Sasuke..." Suigetsu said that and waited as the door opened to a blast of red hair shot out with eyes of the same color hidden behind glasses.

"I opened the door, not what do you want?" Karin gave a skeptical look until she looked over at Sasuke. She seemed to take him in strides.

Sasuke remembered those eyes following him the last time they were together. She never looked away from him, not once. She'd been infatuated with him and he was tired of her. They were so much younger back then and he'd grown up and maybe she's done the same. He hoped for it silently.

"We need your help going through volcanic path. We need the masks and we need you to escort us." Sasuke said and grabbed her attention once again.

"Volcanic path, but why do we need to go back there? I thought we were done with that place." Karin pushed her glassed up her nose.

They would have taken the long way around if it wasn't for the soldiers that were guarding all the known paths through the mountain. The reason they wouldn't be at volcanic path was because of the ash falling from the nearby volcano.

"We're trying to stop the war and all the other paths are blocked off at the moment for security reasons. So could you help us?" Katara asked.

Karin scowled at her. "Who's the new girl?"

"This is Katara, a water bender from the water kingdom. She's going to help me with the tasks we are to accomplish." Sasuke said.

"How are you going to stop a war, Sasuke? You're just going to get yourself killed." Karin said, but her voice wasn't filled with malice, it was filled with concern.

"I need to unite all nations against the lightning so I can take down my brother. He needs to pay for what he did to my family." Sasuke looked away for a moment.

"So its revenge isn't it? I thought we were passed that." Karin said, "Fine, but if I help you have to promise that you won't get yourself killed by doing this."

Karin walked back into the house and came back with four sets of masks and a bag over her shoulder. She handed each mask to them and threw Suigetsu's mask on the ground in front of him.

"So when do we leave?"

...

The volcanic path was almost exactly as she'd expected. There was a small trail leading from the bottom of the mountain and into volcano. They would literally have to go through the volcano to get to the other side.

Ash fell in heavy huffs from the sky. It was clear that this much ash could make anyone sick but this ash was particularly poisonous. Thus the needs for the mask, and the reason no one blocked off this part of the mountain.

She still didn't see why they needed to have Karin along. They mentioned one other danger but they never explained it to her. She just assumed that they were purposely keeping her in the dark about it. Katara could take it though. She wasn't easily scared off, by anything.

They ascended the mountain in a line. Sasuke at the front, her behind him, Karin behind her, and Suigetsu at the back, that was how she was told this would work best. She didn't argue the point that she could water bend some of the ash away if she made a bubble for them. That did seem useful but the thought of it all turning to steam because of the heat also occurred to her.

The masks were stuffy too, just an all-around not comforting experience it was to walk up the mountain.

She wished that they would talk or something. The sounds of the volcano were unnerving. And she suspected they were able to talk with the masks on and not have a fear of the air around them.

A hand shot to Katara's shoulder and she looked back to see her eyes wide in shock at whatever she was looking at. She followed her gaze to the side of the mountain but saw nothing. Maybe she was trying to scare her because she thought she was competition.

She'd not once thought of Sasuke like that.

"Sasuke, to our right," Karin said.

Sasuke placed a hand on his sword. "They're here."


End file.
